emerged, supported by increasingly sophisticated civil engineering and public health
approaches. Certain technical innovations dating back to the nineteenth century
(such as electrical power networks and automobile-focused transportation), combined with disease suppression using sanitary engineering, have supported expansion of regional centers of commerce into metropolises, becoming the origins of
many of today’s megacities.
The vital services provided by infrastructure systems are the outcome of ongoing
development by engineers, sanitarians, and civic planners and have been informed
by growing public health awareness and materials development (Melosi 2008). Best
practices and infrastructure systems of a sanitary city provide the most basic
conditions necessary for good health for all city residents, such as clean air and
water and the absence of toxins. Some megacities face challenges in meeting basic
daily needs, such as safe housing, dependable utilities, and transportation, and many
others have achieved reliable and affordable basic systems and services. The degree
to which a city has achieved the sanitary city goals has enormous implications for the
health and quality of life of its residents.
8.3 The Sustainable City
Technology adoption has shaped local and global urban infrastructure and will
continue to do so. Following the general course of innovation, problems are
observed, new technical systems are initiated, experts work to verify their performance, and if deemed effective, they are implemented on broad scales, both within
and across cities. The implementation of new urban technologies is the result of
intentional efforts by decision makers to confront existing and new problems as their
communities grow and change.
Applying historic infrastructure technologies to remedy urban problems often
produced contradictory outcomes (Melosi 1990). As citywide sewer systems alleviated sanitation problems of the inner city, waste was redirected to nearby rivers,
lakes, and bays, thus creating new health and pollution hazards. Electrical power
reduced household dependence on wood and coal but increased the use of polluting
fuels in centralized power plants. In many instances, unintended consequences did
not prompt wholesale revisions of an infrastructure system but launched another
layer of problem-solving technologies. Greater demands and increased system use
were often met with expensive sizing-up construction, such as larger pipe and pump
systems.
The urban engineering fixes historically devised to provide potable water, process
trash, and cleanse wastewater are now being revisited as part of sustainability
initiatives. In some megacities, decades-old engineered systems are faltering, and
officials are considering alternative technologies. In newer cities, where comprehensive investment in sanitary systems might never have happened, there is interest in
innovations that sidestep history. For instance, some countries were not able to
8 From Sanitary to Sustainable to Sacred: Metro Nature Experiences and. . .
137
approaches. Certain technical innovations dating back to the nineteenth century
(such as electrical power networks and automobile-focused transportation), combined with disease suppression using sanitary engineering, have supported expansion of regional centers of commerce into metropolises, becoming the origins of
many of today’s megacities.
The vital services provided by infrastructure systems are the outcome of ongoing
development by engineers, sanitarians, and civic planners and have been informed
by growing public health awareness and materials development (Melosi 2008). Best
practices and infrastructure systems of a sanitary city provide the most basic
conditions necessary for good health for all city residents, such as clean air and
water and the absence of toxins. Some megacities face challenges in meeting basic
daily needs, such as safe housing, dependable utilities, and transportation, and many
others have achieved reliable and affordable basic systems and services. The degree
to which a city has achieved the sanitary city goals has enormous implications for the
health and quality of life of its residents.
8.3 The Sustainable City
Technology adoption has shaped local and global urban infrastructure and will
continue to do so. Following the general course of innovation, problems are
observed, new technical systems are initiated, experts work to verify their performance, and if deemed effective, they are implemented on broad scales, both within
and across cities. The implementation of new urban technologies is the result of
intentional efforts by decision makers to confront existing and new problems as their
communities grow and change.
Applying historic infrastructure technologies to remedy urban problems often
produced contradictory outcomes (Melosi 1990). As citywide sewer systems alleviated sanitation problems of the inner city, waste was redirected to nearby rivers,
lakes, and bays, thus creating new health and pollution hazards. Electrical power
reduced household dependence on wood and coal but increased the use of polluting
fuels in centralized power plants. In many instances, unintended consequences did
not prompt wholesale revisions of an infrastructure system but launched another
layer of problem-solving technologies. Greater demands and increased system use
were often met with expensive sizing-up construction, such as larger pipe and pump
systems.
The urban engineering fixes historically devised to provide potable water, process
trash, and cleanse wastewater are now being revisited as part of sustainability
initiatives. In some megacities, decades-old engineered systems are faltering, and
officials are considering alternative technologies. In newer cities, where comprehensive investment in sanitary systems might never have happened, there is interest in
innovations that sidestep history. For instance, some countries were not able to
8 From Sanitary to Sustainable to Sacred: Metro Nature Experiences and. . .
137